Patriots Talk: Putting together a free-agent wish list originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
NFL free agency and the new league year officially begin next Wednesday, March 17, and the New England Patriots are expected to be active.
There are several spots on the roster in addition to the quarterback position that need addressing. With approximately $66 million in salary cap space, the Patriots are well-equipped to make some big splashes in free agency. But which positions and players should they be focusing most of their attention on?
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Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry shared their Patriots free-agency wish lists on a brand new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast.
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Curran noted defensive tackle Leonard Williams as a player he'd like the Patriots to target, but the New York Giants ended up franchise tagging the 26-year-old on Tuesday.
Perry instead wants to focus on the receiver position.
"I'm going cheap on the interior of my defensive line. I want Lawrence Guy back. I want maybe Corey Peters, veteran, big body 300-pound dude from the Arizona Cardinals," Perry said. "I'm going cheap there because I want to spend at wide receiver.
"You have to get more explosive. You can't just throw your hands up as you just did and say 'forget about the offense, it's going to suck.' ... No, not doing that. You have plenty of money and there are plenty of nice-looking receiver options out there. ...
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"Will Fuller? I'd even be willing to go a little bit lower on someone like Curtis Samuel, who I think can play both inside and out and be a dynamic slot option, take some of those end around passes, pretty good after the catch. ... If you end up with a Keelan Cole as another free-agent addition or T.Y. Hilton on his last contract because you feel like he's got a little bit more juice left, that's fine. But you've got to spend at receiver."
With Williams off the board, Curran believes a rock-solid edge rusher should be near the top of the Patriots' priority list.
"You have to find somebody on the edge who can make some palms sweat," Curran said. "Bring yourself in 13.5-sack, Florida Atlantic University product, New Orleans Saint player Trey Hendrickson."
Hear more from Curran and Perry's free-agent wish list in the podcast episode above.
Also discussed in the new episode: Does Trent Brown make the Patriots better in 2021? What type of player are the Patriots are getting in Brown? Breaking down the options of shuffling the offensive line. And reaction to Dak Prescott’s new contract with the Cowboys.
Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube below:
